Beauxbaton Academy: Guilty As Charged
by SlytherinDesires
Summary: Six years after the disappearance of thirteen year old singing prodigy, Clarissa Hartman, her body is found in the lake. Everyone just assumed she burned in the fire that started in the Lake House during their Halloween Party in their third year. But obviously there was a murder, and this has everyone shaken up and asking the same question. Who and Why?


"Guys, Guys?" whispered a meek, female voice. Odette Belmont walked through the trees, calling for her friends, and jumping at every little sound that went bump in the dark. She brushed her short, black hair back behind her ear when she thought that she heard snickering behind the tall tree she had just passed. She felt a hand on her shoulder and someone shout, "BOO!" Odette screamed and fell backward, causing her glasses to fall off her face and snap in half on the dirty ground of the forest. She glared at the three blurs that she considered friends as the enjoyed a good, hearty laugh at her expense; Lillianna, Clarissa, and Annabelle. They all tried to stifle their laughter as they watched Odette pick up the two pieces of her broken glasses and look at them in a forlorn manner.

Odette looked back up at the three blurs and then shouted, "That wasn't funny!" She obviously was quite hurt by their antics based on her tone of voice. Clarissa rolled her eyes and took out her magic wand and with a simple wave of her wand and an utterance of a spell, she was able to fix the broken glasses. Annabelle bent over held out her hand for Odette to take and she helped her up, trying to not let her long, blonde hair touch the ground as she did so. "It's Halloween, Odette. We were only having a bit of fun! Lighten up," Annabelle said in her usual chipmunky voice. Odette just sighed and shook her head in defeat, then took her eye glasses from Clarissa and put them back on her face while muttering some sort of thanks for fixing them up. She then continued trudging through the forest with her friends close behind her. They were on their way to the Hartman's Lake House where they were to be attending Clarissa and her brother, Chris's Halloween party. They were already running late thanks to Lillianna's last minute costume change and if they didn't arrive soon they would go from fashionably late to 'I didn't know your address' late; which was not an option.

"There it is," said Lillianna, pointing to the lake house in the distance beyond the trees. The four thirteen year old girls hurried towards the house with smiles on their faces. They waved to all the people who were partying outside the house and then stepped inside. Odette looked at everyone's costumes in awe. It was a great turnout, she thought. She was a girl with a poodle skirt, Clarissa was an angel, Annabelle was Wendy from Peter Pan, and Lillianna was going to be a Princess but she changed her mind and went as a prima ballerina. She snapped out of her costume admiring and turned to Clarissa who was standing on the coffee table, accepting praise from her fellow party-goers.

"I would like to thank you all for supporting us as we made our way to Nationals last year," started Clarissa after Lillianna got everyone to pipe down a bit, "We would not have won without all of you. So, in return, I would like you all to have piece of knowledge when you leave here. Never underestimate the ones you consider to be your inferiors. When we were at Competition singing, some of the easiest groups to beat brought it hard and were pretty tough. Always prepare for the worst." She smiled at the crowd which gave her a bittersweet smile in return, along with talking and clapping. And with a wave of her hand and a step off of the table she said, "Enough of me talking. Have fun and Happy Halloween!" Everyone cheered and then carried on with their activities, bathing in a bucket of Halloween bliss.

"You're full of it. You know that?" spat Lillianna, whom had her arms crossed as she trailed behind Clarissa to the back room with Annabelle and Odette coming in the rear. She knew that Clarissa's little speech was just an act and it always bothered her that everyone bought it. If you went up the stairs and kept walking until you reached an area of the house that seemed untouched, you would find C.O.P. Headquarters; the backroom for the girls in the Crimes of Passion, the elite show choir, could meet. This is often where Clarissa, Lillianna, Odette, and Annabelle would hang out during the parties. The four girls walked into the room and shut the door behind them. They each took a seat and made themselves comfortable.

Clarissa faced Lillianna and spat back, "Well excuse me if I wanted to be loved by my peers. You should try it sometime, Rosier. Maybe people would talk to you then." Lillianna's cheeks flushed red and an icy glare formed upon her face. Odette bit her lip and Annabelle smiled and complimented the party music selection to lighten the mood and to diffuse the situation. Clarissa and Lillianna looked at each other for a moment and then relaxed and brushed the moment aside. There was no point in starting a fight over this because it was a given that Clarissa would win the fight no matter what.

"So, great turnout, right?" said Annabelle, smiling and trying to ignore the vibrations of the room from the music blasting downstairs. Everyone but Clarissa nodded their head, which was strange since she usually bragged about all of the people that were at her party. All turned to look at Clarissa for her explanation. Clarissa looked back at the three girls and she began to speak of what was on her mind, "Every year it is the same group of people here. It's getting boring, and we need to figure out a way to attract different people to join in the fun." When she was done explaining she gave the girls a matter of fact look as if they were supposed to know what she was getting at. None of them really had thought about the people who came; whether they were the same or different.

Odette rolled her eyes and then pushed up her glasses and replied, "What do you have in mind? Because of course they are the same people. We go to school with them and we can't exactly change that." She spoke in a nervous tone as to not upset Clarissa. She had a problem with that since Odette had a problem with making people feel stupid, which nobody really liked, of course.

"Actually, I was thinking about changing my ranks. Odette, you are a great friend with a brilliant mind, but you aren't exactly the right look I am looking for," said Clarissa, speaking in a bittersweet 'my sadness is fake' tone, "Sorry, Belmont, but you're out of the Crimes. So, you know where the door is. Tell Chris I'd like to speak to him while you are down there, would you?"

The other three girls sat there with shocked expressions on their faces. It was just a quick decision and none of them looked like they saw it coming. Each one knew that this kind of thing could happen. A part of being in the Crimes of Passion was the constant worry that you will no longer be good enough hand there will be someone to take your place. But at the same time, nobody really expected it to happen to them. Lillianna was the first one to recover and she gave Odette a silent, and small nod of goodbye.

"Excuse me?! You can't just..." snapped Odette in a trembling, angry voice. She curled her hands up into small little balls and tried to take a deep breath as she stood up; the tears were already beginning to form in her eyes. Annabelle shifted uncomfortably and eyed her friend. Clarissa then said, "I'm sorry, but you heard me. Leave your pin too, if you don't mind." She gave the girl a smile, whom already had tears in her eyes. Odette glared at Clarissa, ripped her Crimes of Passion member pin right off of her costume and threw it at her.

Clarissa yelped and looked at her leg which was dripping a small drop of ruby-red blood, staining her white nylon tights. The pin that Odette threw happened to pierce her skin. She looked up at Odette who was still standing in the doorway. "It's just a little blood," said Odette, "It's nothing compared to what is coming to you." She spoke in a bitter tone and walked right out of the room. Lillianna and Annabelle stared at the doorway in silence, unsure of what to say next.

Clarissa managed to just shrug it off. She was used to threats that were like that. She wasn't exactly the sweetest girl at Beauxbaton Academy and therefore a lot of people got angry at her enough to say things like that; far too many to count by this point in time. None of them followed through with there threats, obviously. She shook her head and turned to the remaining two girls. "Now, do either of you two know why she was selected to leave the Crimes?" asked Clarissa. Annabelle and Lillianna exchanged glances and then Lillianna decided to be the one to speak up.

"Because she's more talented than you and you can't handle that," she said coldly. Annabelle gasped, shocked that anyone had the balls to say something like that to Clarissa. Especially at a party that was thrown by her. But somebody had to stand up for Odette and as much as Annabelle wanted to do it, she didn't want to upset her and be kicked out as well.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

Annabelle shifted nervously in her seat and looked between the two girls. Who were going to be in a heated discussion, yet again. This always made her nervous but she knew it was always Clarissa's fault. She knew that if Clarissa was gone Lillianna wouldn't always be so tense and hostile. Sometimes she wished she would just disappear so that everyone would be free from how she was. Annabelle didn't even like Clarissa. She just thought that being in the Crimes of Passion was fun because she enjoyed performing as a hobby. It made this hyper blonde relax just a little bit. She was tempted to get up and leave but she knew that it was best to stay where she was."

"I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you, before you follow in Odette's footsteps right out that door. Because I do recall that I made you and therefore I can destroy you as well," warned Clarissa with murder in her eyes. Lillianna glared back and then said, "Hartman, you don't own me. So stop acting like you do." Clarissa softened her look into a poisonous smile, which was more terrifying than the glare most of the time. It was the kind of smile that made Annabelle whimper in fear.

"Oh, really? Well if it wasn't for me...the only thing that you would be known for is being the sister of our savior and protector. Isn't that right," said Clarissa, now giving her a sly little smirk, "_Potter_." Lillianna shot up out of her seat and Annabelle jumped up as well to grab her arm to prevent her from flying off the handle. Lillianna pulled on her arm but Annabelle's grip was pretty tight. "Ashamed to be a Potter are we, Lillianna?" inquired Clarissa. Lillianna's eyes narrowed and she hissed, "It's Rosier!" She then yanked her arm one more time and Annabelle let go. She then walked down the stairs to find Odette.

This lead the awkward moment of just Annabelle and Clarissa sitting there. They both began to relax a little, making the tension in the air go away. By this time it was at least 10:30pm. You wouldn't expect a group of school children to be permitted out like this, but all the parents were under the impression that their kids were with the other kid's parents. Round Robin style; a child's trick that worked no matter what time or era.

The two girls got up and went downstairs to join the party. There was no reason to stay up in the C.O.P Headquarters with nothing more to discuss. When they got down there they spotted Lillianna talking to a young boy of their age named Carter Burman. Those two were very close friends; she was like the Nimbus to his 2000. But she often didn't spend time with him when she was around Clarissa, Odette, and Annabelle. He was definitely not on the 'A-List' of the school. In fact, he was bullied constantly by Chris and Clarissa Hartman all of the time.

"What do you think you're doing?" said Clarissa, walking up to Lillianna and Carter. Lillianna whipped her head around, obviously startled and she had to adjust the black bun that was atop her head. "Nothing, she was just telling me that I'm not welcome at your party. Carry on Miss Hartman," said Carter, interrupting with a bitter tone. Lillianna looked at Carter silently with a face that said she would sigh if she could. Clarissa watched as Carter stopped leaning against the wall and walked out of the lake house into the dark, creepy night.

"Well, if so...carry on with your evening," said Clarissa to Lillianna, blushing slightly. She thought she had caught her doing something that she was not supposed to be doing and it was a bit embarrassing to be wrong about it. Lillianna walked away and got caught up in a friendly conversation with Annabelle whom had just got back from comforting Odette who was still downstairs and trying to enjoy herself the best that she could.

Clarissa began to smile again and just enjoy the party with everyone else that attended like she had planned on doing before. Although tension was in the air when the party had first started, it was beginning to diminish and the feeling seemed lighter now. But speaking of lighter, that was only metaphorically, for just as NSYNC's 'Bye Bye Bye' began playing, the lights went out leaving them in total darkness.

There were a few terrified screams as everyone scrambled around, trying to find out how to turn the light back on. Someone shut the music off and suddenly the Halloween night seemed creepier than ever. One girl tried to get out, but the door was locked. No way in and no way out. Everyone started bumping into each other, trying to figure out what was going on since nobody could see each other in the pitch darkness.

This went on for about twenty minutes when there was a sudden 'click' that made everyone jump. Then came a roaring, crackling blaze and everyone started screaming when they realized that the lake house had been lit on fire. This was what sent everyone into a panicked craze and they all pushed and shoved each other until they got to the door, which had been unlocked. Everyone ran out to the field behind the building and watched the lake house burn to the ground. Chris began to call everyone's name in roll call to make sure that everyone made it out alive.

"Odette!" coughed Annabelle as she made it out of the building, spotting her friend. Odette gave her a weak smile as she used her inhaler that she had kept in her purse for just in case things like this. She then asked her, "Where is Lillianna?" Annabelle pointed to where Lillianna was standing with Carter, whom was still around here since it was dangerous to actually leave the premise this time of night. When Lillianna saw them she gave them a small nod and the two girls walked over to her, just in time to hear their names called for roll-call. They all talked to each other, glad they were all okay and survived.

"CLARISSA!"

Everyone turned to see Chris call his sister's name and they all looked around, since nobody could recall Clarissa getting out of the burning building. They grew silent, lowering their heads. For they had known that she didn't make it. Whether she survived the fire or not, she was missing.


End file.
